Million dollar paydays for ferry fiasco chiefs
REVEALED: The salary packages of two government business CEOs who presided over the Spirit of Tasmania fiasco have both earned more than the Premier. Here’s how much.
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The two government business CEOs who presided over the Spirit of Tasmania fiasco took home salary packages worth more than a million dollars between them last financial year, annual reports reveal.
TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald even received a $48,000 bonus on his $538,000 salary package in 2023/24.
At the same time TT-Line CEO Bernard Dwyer received a total of $565,000.
It came as the cost of the ferries blew out, their delivery date was pushed back and the two government-owned businesses were unable to deliver adequate berthing facilities in Devonport.
The true nature of the problems were only revealed to the public after the March state election.
Both Mr Donald and his counterpart Bernard Dwyer easily earned more than Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who receives a salary of $301,397.
Unlike Mr Rockliff, whose pay has been frozen for years, Mr Donald received an effective seven per cent pay increase over the previous year, when he received $502,000.
Mr Dwyer’s salary increased by a more modest four per cent from $542,000 in 2022/23.
Labor has described the problems with the ferries as the “biggest infrastructure stuff-up in Tasmanian history”.
“This is another reason why Labor is proposing the biggest shake-up to our government businesses in thirty years,” Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said.
“Labor’s plan will start the work of getting our government businesses back on track and delivering once again for Tasmanian jobs and the economy.”
Michael Ferguson resigned as infrastructure minister in August, and last week from cabinet for his role in the affair.
TT-Line Chairman Michael Grainger was ordered to resign and Mr Dwyer and TasPorts chairman Stephen Bradford have both announced their departures too.
In his introduction to the annual report, Mr Grainger said the board stood by its actions.
CEO’s message, the Board stands by the various decisions it made, particularly as they relate to the decisions to pay additional money to Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions to complete the vessels and for the appointment of a contractor to relocate our Devonport base of operations from its existing berth 1 to berth 3.”
“In summary, the decisions we took were commercially-focused, not taken lightly and only made after extensive deliberations.”
Mr Bradford said his company was also doing all it could.
“We have also been taking all necessary action to support TT-Line in its undertaking of Terminal 3 infrastructure works and refuelling infrastructure as far as it was reasonably possible to do so.”
TT-Line reported an after tax loss of $13m for 2023/24, down from a $8.6m profit the previous year. Revenue was $307.5m, up from $307.1m.
TasPorts reported a profit of $18.1m up from $14.2m. Revenue was $180m, up from $168m the year before.
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